Opinions of Friday, 1 November 2013

Columnist: Mensema, Akadu Ntiriwa

Mahama: We Need FADA (Forest) & CADA (Coastal)

*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.



“President John Mahama has on the advice of the Board of Directors of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), appointed the Authority’s Chief Technical Advisor, Dr. Charles Jebuni, as acting Chief Executive pending the appointment of a substantive head. Dr. Jebuni, who was part of the team that prepared and established SADA, replaces Mr. Gilbert Seidu Iddi whose tenure as Chief Executive has expired. The appointment is part of the President’s plans for the restructuring of SADA and a re-focusing of the management on the core mandate of the Authority” (Ghanaweb October 27, 2013).



John Mahama Accelerated development must be for all Tell the “North” to be innovative Tell the “North” to be independent Tell the “North” to be self-reliant Tell the “Northern” elites to build their localities To build in the “North,” not in the “South” To build in Tamale, not Kumasi To build in Salaga, not in Aburi Tell them to stop depending on the government For akomfem For trees For tuo safi For pito For school fees Kwahu accelerated their own developments Denkyira accelerated their own developments Asante accelerated their own developments Krobo accelerated their own developments Fante accelerated their own developments Ada accelerated their own developments Ewes accelerated their own developments



John Mahama don’t pour our monies Into crucibles of akomfem fraud Into crucibles of tree-planting frauds



John Mahama Stop dividing up Ghanaians Stop burning ethnic bridges Stop building new archives of divisiveness Why only SADA for the “North” Why not FADA for the “Forest” belt Why not CADA for the Coastal belt Stop building a pyramid of divisiveness



John Mahama Accelerated development must be universal Not only poised for the “North” ostensibly called SAVANNAH Not only Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) We should have Forest Accelerated Development Authority (FADA) The Forest needs it (FADA) We should have Coastal Accelerated Development Authority The Coast needs it (CADA)



John Mahama Your government is made up of only “Northerners” “Northerners” in the left & right “Northerners” in the front & back Scholarship Secretariat is manned by “Northerners” for the “North” Medical scholarship in Cuba is made up 92 percent “Northerners” Accelerated development is for the “North” ostensibly called Savannah Eh! This Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA)



John Mahama And his “Northern” elites Funneling our money to the “North” For bogus projects Rearing “akomfems” that take to flight That takes to flight to nowhere Planting trees in dry season That dries up in the dry season



John Mahama The “North” is not an old “North” The “North” has come into its own Today Mahama’s NDC “Northerners” control Ghana Mahama says no free education Free education that benefitted his 19 siblings Free education that has benefitted “Northerners” “Northern” elites who control Ghana SADA is a sad ploy to privilege the “South”



John Mahama All Ghanaians need a SADA All need an accelerated development authority If the savannah “North” needs SADA The Forest needs FADA FOREST ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT The Coast needs CADA COASTAL ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT



John Mahama Don’t waste our resources on the “North” What is the “North” without the Forest What is the “North” without the Coast If the “North” has Akomfem (Guinea fowls) The Forest has antelopes The Coast has fish If the “North” needs trees The Forest is de-forested The Forest can’t lose trees So we plant trees in the “North” If the “North” needs trees The Coast is also un-forested



John Mahama Stop dividing up Ghanaians Stop burning ethnic bridges Stop building new archives of divisiveness



*Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained oral historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania with her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In her pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical” poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com. All my poems and essays on Ghanaweb and elsewhere must not be reproduced in full or in part for any academic or scholarly work without my written permission.